


Raven Cycle Remake

by DeliciouslySeveredErebus



Series: Alternative! Olicity [2]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: BAMF Felicity Smoak, Caves, Coffee Shops, Diners, F/M, Forests, Gen, Gets Weird Real Fast, Ghosts, Magical Artifacts, Magical Forests, Magical Realism, Nerdy! Oliver, Olicity Alternative, Raven Cycle - Freeform, Rescue Missions, Resurrection, Spirits, Thinking Outside Of The Box, Weird Abilities
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-07-20 19:25:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16143902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeliciouslySeveredErebus/pseuds/DeliciouslySeveredErebus
Summary: Oliver Queen moved to Starling two years before for its history. He feels more at home when he goes to BLONDES AND BONDS BARISTA to talk to John Diggle, who was a regular longer than him, and Felicity Smoak the waitress whose mother is the owner.But the familiarity in BLONDES wasn’t the only thing he came there for. The building was built over a ley line of magical energy and people say that there would be sightings for ghosts, spirits, and way more.He didn’t expect to see any those of things until things started.





	1. {𝐒𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧} Change

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know how it happened. I just made this out of nowhere! 
> 
> I'll leave it up for you guys to read and let me know if you want more of this story!
> 
> Pleasurable Reading!

 

 

The harsh taste of his coffee was the reason he went to this cafè every day. Oliver would see the same people, their welcoming smiles, and their ability to make him feel like he was born here. Except he wasn’t born here and he didn’t go to _BLONDES AND BONDS BARISTA_ just for its famous cup of bittersweet. He came here a day after the other for the building itself and what’s under it.

 

It wasn’t like the building was hard to miss driving by in the road. A stranger would drive and see a big, bold, and — _way too neon_ — pink sign on top with its electric blue interior. They walk into it and their instantly blinded by welcoming smiles, arrays of pastries, and goosebumps going along your entire body. Oliver took a sip from his coffee cup and looked at his journal. It consisted of knowledge about the ley lines and its energy. His fingers brushed through it, studying it again. He couldn’t understand how the energy was formed or even how the ley line was made. The cool air against his skin made him shiver.

 

“You still staring at that the drawing, man?” a man with dark skin said, stuffing himself into the blue booth seat in front of him. He became a friend with Diggle of the first day of him living here. They met at BLONDE’S and they’ve talked ever since. They never met up anywhere else, just to the barista knowing the other would show.

 

“You’ve lived here all your life and you were never curious about the history of your town?” Oliver raised an eyebrow. He was only here for two years and everything about how this city walks interested him.

 

“Exactly, I lived here all my life. Everything here is as natural as the grass you walk on every day,” a barista walked to him, offering a refill on his drink. He raised his hand to decline and she walked away.

 

“My research says this place isn’t that natural.” Oliver was always into his research and it sent him to Starling for a reason. He would’ve left the town if his journal didn’t make him stay.

 

Diggle shrugged and looked around with a curious glint in his eyes, “Felicity doesn’t have work today?”

 

Oliver looked at the counter she would be placed during work. It seemed hollower because she wasn’t there. Like she left and forgot to take the expectation of being present with her.

 

Their nice spirited, blonde and blued eyed companion was the last one to join the group. They would banter when on would tease and sharply roll their eyes when one disagrees. Oliver had always switched the subject when Diggle slips into the topic about ley lines in front of her. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her about the topic,  it was more that he didn’t think it would interest her. Whenever he would speak about ley lines in any outgoing conversation, they break out into a quick loud laugh as if he was making a joke. He would smile and laugh politely back, avoiding the awkwardness if they knew he was serious.

 

His eyes flickered back to Diggle and took another sip of his coffee, “I don’t remember her saying she had the day off.”

 

“That doesn’t seem like her.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the booth. The rubber on the booth against Diggle’s clothing screamed as he placed himself on the old interior.

 

He looked around and looked at the waitresses, they had their usual smiles and extra hops to their step. Nothing that indicated that Felicity issues with getting here. It was probably just a flat tire on her bicycle. He had always offered to give her a ride in mornings because of how unethical it was to ride to work each day. Although, she would probably get excused by the owner and manager of the place because her mother was both of those people. He took another sip, enjoying the heat pooling against his throat, and stood up from the booth, “I’m going to get a pastry. You want one?”

 

Diggle smiled as he looked at the front counter then to him, “I’m good, man.”

 

Oliver knew the answer before Diggle even gave him one. He would always offer but Diggle would decline. He smiled back and walked to the front counter. His eyes flashed to the different pastries they had on display today. He always ends up getting his usual, the chocolate pie. But today was different and he got the pumpkin. He didn’t even question it as he told the waitress what he wanted, sat in his booth, and ate it. _Simple as that._

 

Diggle noticed it before the plate clanked on the table, “There was no chocolate pie today?”

 

“I was just craving pumpkin.” He stated, shoving a large piece of pumpkin into his mouth. Diggle frowned a bit as he looked at the pie on his plate.

 

“Felicity’s not in work.” Diggle started again.

 

Oliver looked at him, not understanding.

 

“You being suddenly interested in pumpkin after a full year of you being a regular?” Diggle asked him. He looked around in concern then his eyes got wide as he stared to the floor beneath his feet, “Something’s wrong.” He ran off, busting the door open as he went.

 

Oliver hastily got his wallet from his pocket and slammed the money on his booth table before trying to chase him, “Diggle!” He yelled as he opened the door. He walked outside and there was no one. The roads were silent and the cool air was blowing but not one person in sight.

 

He went back inside and ignored people’s stares as he closed his journal and walked back outside to the parking lot. He put his keys in the ignition and the engine roared and he drove off to his destination without thinking.

                      

Cabeswater was a forest that was in the middle of the ley line. He first discovered it when he first went to Starling. He drove by it a couple times during the first year he was here. They were quick glances until it was raining and the glass began to fog. His car made a thump on the road, rattling the pennies on his dashboard. Blindly, he turned to the nearest road and got out of his car. Keys in his hand, he slammed his door closed and inspected the road. His eyes squinted from the heavy pouring rain. He couldn’t see anything that would make his car jerk like that. He slowly rolled his eyes when he thought that his car was having issues.

 

He went to open the hood but got sidetracked from the forest appearing in his vision. He turned on the alarm on his car and hesitatingly walked in the forest. He didn’t want to get a ticket of the first hour of him being in Starling but curiosity got the best of him. There were no signs of trespassing warnings in his line of vision so he continued to walk in. The grass looked like it wasn’t cut in the nearest decade, it was tall enough to hit his knees. Making large steps and putting his hand over his head, he slowly hit the first array of trees.

 

Oliver didn’t think much of the rain after that as he glanced around the coppice. The trees were cut and trimmed neatly. Seemed that the trees were favored against the grass. When the first raindrop hit underneath his hand, he blinked. When twenty raindrops hit his face despite his hand over it, he stared. He looked at the sky. It looked like Mother Nature was thirsty and sucked any water that had yet hit the ground. His jaw went slack and his chest clenched. Pointing his hand out towards the ground, the rain started to shower on it.

 

He laughed sharply, _It’s real! It’s real!_

 

Without even thinking, Cabeswater became his place. It was the only place that made the lines true.

 

As any other time, he parked, grabbed his journal, slammed his car door, and walked into the forest. He steps over the tallest bits of grass as he goes to the trees. The birds were chirping and it felt like his heart was singing with them. He looked at his phone and but it wouldn’t turn on. It must’ve turned off when he first entered like the last time he visited.

 

He continued until he hit a small stream of water. The current was going right but the fish were going left. It wasn’t the only thing that was off about the forest. There were whispers among the trees. He mistook it for wind the first time he was here. Then he slowly realized that the wind was bending to form words. Once he figured that, he brought his journal and wrote down each word that was made. Sometimes he just lays on the perfect verdant grass and has a conversation with them. It would’ve been strange if they didn’t talk back.

 

He started to understand that the words in his journal weren’t English of any kind. His thoughts were splintered, each word that was written in his journal was another step further than before. He flipped a page and let the sun catch a wink of it.

   

**_verum arboribus loquimur_ **

  

_Was it Russian? German? Portuguese? Is Diggle okay?_

 

He slammed the book closed and rubbed his temples. He typically did it out of habit. Diggle pointed it out before he noticed it. Diggle ran off and disappeared, like, he vanished from thin air. The winds started to whispering once more. He took a breath, opened his book, and listen to the sounds.           

 

**et oculi caecorum, roga ligna ad amicum invenire**

 

They were saying something different about the way they said it. This was more urgent and harsh from the gentle and soft breath they had. He listened and felt a shiver up his spine. Turning around was found with bright blue lilies and tall grass. He silently closed the journal and hastily walked out of Cabeswater. He quickly got in his convertible and clenched his fingers on the wheel. He made sure he wasn’t seen as he ducked a few inches into the car. There was whispered talking but it wasn’t the trees. It was simply a woman with a waitress uniform and blonde hair flowing to her back.

 

Felicity didn’t know where she was. One moment before she was in her apartment, guiltily finding a way to apologize for not telling Diggle and Oliver about the change to her shifts. The next, she found herself trying to figure out why there was a forest that she’s never seen before. She’s been in Starling — unfortunately — all her life. She knows the roads and buildings like the back of her hand. But this forest was new to her. Headlights blared in her vision and she squinted, covering her eyes with her hands from the intensity. She heard a familiar car slam and musky scent of grass. She put her hand down and watched Oliver Queen walk toward her. He was wearing a navy blue jacket with some black jeans. _It matches his eyes_ , she thought.

 

“Hey!” said Oliver. His eyes narrowed as he made a look over her body. It seemed he found what he was looking for because his face softened.

 

“There’s a forest here.” Said Felicity. She pointed from behind her then pointed to him, “And you knew about this.”

 

Oliver’s eyes crinkled, “You’ve never seen this place?”

 

She made a silent note that his eyes crinkle when he’s confused. Her body turned around, “This place couldn’t have been here before. You’d think I’d have seen it.” She eyed him.

 

He knew with the way she talked about the town. How her eyes would lose the same twinkle as she had with any topics. He asked anything about the town and she knew it. But this forest wasn’t normal for people who knew this town. It wasn’t for anyone that didn’t believe. He took a quick note to ask Diggle if he has seen Cabeswater. Right after asking what the hell has gotten into him the other day, “This would be pretty hard to explain,” he started, making a step further into the dirt trail.

 

“I’m willing to learn quickly,” she told him.

 

And that was that. He quietly guided her in the forest and let her listen to it on her own. She thought it was the wind but when she listened closer they were forming into words. Her face looked to his shockingly, “Am I losing my mind?”

 

He laughed and took her hand ran into the forest, he ran and ran until he found what he was looking for. The river with a weird riptide. Her hands found the water and snatched it back when she didn’t find a ripple. She looked at her hand and it wasn’t wet in the slightest.

 

She didn’t want to believe it. She almost couldn’t. She’s lived here all her life and there wasn’t anything _Starling_ about this. The tall trees began to sing and flowers fell on top of her head, “This is real.”

 

It was whispered but he heard it. He wanted to tell her all of the things that were true but he couldn’t. She needed to see it for herself. Her eyes brightened when she smiled as the flowers started to form a colored crown on her head. She looked as how he remembered her in the diner, bright and graceful. That also got him thinking.

 

“How did you get here?”

 

Felicity’s smile switched to a look of concern. She grabbed something out of her pocket and his eyes widened. He saw it wink in the sunlight and clank between the other pieces of silver.

 

“Fuck,” he swore as he stared at it. _They were his car keys._


	2. {𝐒𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧} Cars

 Being in Starling made Felicity itch.

 

She lived here her whole life but she badly wanted to leave. Yet, she was still serving and wiping table booths in BLONDES AND BONDS. Living and serving people and their ability to make her feel less about herself and the way stories would walk the halls and haunt you when they come out. She has always wanted to leave but something always stopped her. Whether it was her mother having issues with the diner or she didn’t have enough money, she had always stayed. She would promise that next year she’d be gone and the next two would roll around.

 

It was an ongoing joke around in BLONDES. _Weren’t you supposed to be gone this year? What kept you here this time? Is your mother gambling again and in debt?_ Her face would fall and her lips would make a tightened smile. Felicity’s go to _‘Ha Ha Ha that kind of hurt my feelings’_ face. It became her silent promise to herself that she’d leave this year. No interruptions, no money issues, no more jokes about her staying in Starling.

 

She will finally buy a car and put her favorited knick knacks in it and ride off, not caring about anything behind her. She wrote the date on the whiteboard that was hammered to her wall. It looked bold to the self-painted gloomy violet that covered the panels.

 

_One day, I’ll get my dream._

She walked into the bathroom and let the water heat before walking into it.

 

She enjoyed the steam as she let her thoughts unwind. Her heart dropped guiltily when she didn’t let Oliver and Diggle know that her shift would be later in the afternoon today. She’d make sure to apologize to them when her shifts change back next week. She wasn’t aware that they had become friends until Oliver and Diggle didn’t show up one morning. She was expecting the sandy blonde and the muscled dark skinned brutes. They would always be there in the morning and she would always be the counter.

 

Once her shower was done, she turned off the water and turned around to the glass sliding door. Her breath shuttered and felt like her heart sank more to the floor. It didn’t look the same as before. It was usually filled up with fog unless she imprinted it with her hand. It looked like three lines over crossed from each other. She touched it briefly, feeling her hand throb.

 

Her body made way to her room and changed into her uniform. Felicity met with her bed, taking a rest knowing it would be a tiring day and did something impossible. _She began to dream._

       

                                ❁ ❁ ❁

 

She was floating.

 

Her hair was flowing in slow sways in the air. Her arms tried to catch anything but it was only the clouds. After a few moments, she was hitting a tree but she wasn’t. It was hard for her to explain. She was touching the trees but her body seemed to glide right through.

 

Eventually she hit the grass gracefully. She got up and looked at something in front of her. It was Oliver’s convertible but when she looked further, their was more than one convertible in two perfect lines. The cars stared at her as she stared back. The murky grass didn’t go in her thought process until she almost tripped over them. It was hitting her upper thighs, making her work clothes dirty. Annoyed with that, she commanded, “ _breviori_.”

 

The grass slithered like snakes to her knees and she smiled, padding to the first car she saw. She hopped on the driver's seat and got hit with the familiar scent of grass. She looked at the ignition and scrunched her eyebrows when she didn’t see the keys. Her eyes closed and imagined the jingle she would hear in Oliver’s jean pocket. She imagined the different keys he had on the chain. She started to see a key forming in her vision, it was like a liquid of silver that was forming into a simple key for the car.

 

The forest started to shiver and pulse. She felt it underneath her fingertips and down to her palms. The vines from the forest were tangling itself on her wrists. It wasn’t a tight grip, more so a silent hug and or a whisper of love. Her heart started to intertwine with its calm beating. When the keys were finished, it snapped down and she caught it with a hand. She smirked sharply as she put it in the ignition and heard it roar to life.

 

She woke up.

       

                               ❁ ❁ ❁

 

She clenched her hands as she heard it clank in her palms. Oliver was still looking at her hand with surprise, “How?” He implored. His fingers started digging into his pockets and showed her his.

 

“I don’t exactly know. I was in my apartment one minute and the next, BOOM! I drove here without pure knowledge of doing so!”

 

“Where’s the car?” He asked so she guided into the part forest she remembered. His car, almost looking exactly like his, was staring at them. It was different because the car he had, had a roof. This one didn’t oddly enough. He walked to it and raised his hand. Knowing what he meant, she tossed the keys and he caught them. He unlocked it the car and got in. Tossing his journal in the back seat, she heard the keys fumble before the car started. He laughed as he rubbed the steering wheel, overly excited for a _car._

 

“What the hell are we supposed to do with a damn car?”

 

“Keep it. Now, you have a greater way of transportation than your bike,” said Oliver. His eyes brighten as waved to her, urging for her to get in.

 

She rolled her eyes and walked to the car, unhinging the hood and what she saw, made her jerk back, “Oliver come see this!”

 

Oliver opened the door and slammed it closed, walking to her close enough that their shoulders touched, “Shit.”

 

There was no engine. All of the insides of the car were hollow as it can be. It shook them down the core when they still heard the car purring.

 

“Shit…” he repeated before slamming the hood down hastily and looking around for anyone that could have seen it. Her mother would have a field day if she told her this story. Donna would be slapping her knees as her neck whipped back from the intensity of that laugh.

 

“I can’t just drive this! What would people think?!” She shouted. It echoed through the trees and they started to talk back more urgently. She didn’t bother to listen because of him, though.

 

“Nice ride?” His voice said knowingly. Her look said, “ _You’re kidding right?”_ His said, _“Uh not really?”_

 

He went back and hopped into the car and let the engine purr, “Check the hood again!” He yelled, trying to beat the roar of the motor.

 

She popped opened the hood and there was no engine. It wasn’t as surprising as she’d thought it’d be. She probably hoped that maybe they were imagining things? She doesn’t know for sure, “Push the gas!”

 

He raised an eyebrow but pushed on the gas anyway and it bellowed against the pulse of the ley line. She closed the hood and jumped into the car, “Drive!”

 

He switched gears and rode off, wheels screeching hard enough for dirt and grass woven into them and flew to the air. She grabbed the seat she was sitting on and yelled, “ _iter facere!_ ”

 

The forest moved completely and made a dirt trail to accommodate the car. Oliver looked at her in surprise, her laugh filled the air as she made a small beat on its dashboard. That sounded like the language on his journal. Was she a part of the ley line and Cabeswater without her realizing? They drove until they went outside of Cabeswater. He drove on a street corner and parked, noticing her body slumping on the seat.

 

“I don’t see why you can’t just drive this. It’s yours after all..?”

 

She smiled faintly and brushed her finger tips on the interior, “Having a car would look fairly interesting from the daughter of whose mother owns a diner where people gossip like it’s their jobs.”

 

He knew that she was considering it, the way her lips thinned as she looked at the car with a new sense of fascination. She was regretting her decision but the other part knew how it worked at BLONDES. Whispers would be feathering and her mother would start yammering. Could’ve been easy, saying that a friend had bought her the car but she knew what it looked like.

 

The people at the diner have this interesting game of, ‘WHAT KIND OF REASON FELICITY HAS THIS TIME?’. The rules were easy, make a joke about Felicity never being able to leave and you win! It couldn’t help with the drama swarming the diner like bees but also her mother’s reputation.

 

Her mother has gotten nothing but disapproval since the building was just dirt and mud. When she found it, Felicity was on her car seat, messing with her Barbie dolls. Donna loved it the moment she saw it. Her eyes widened as her mouth formed into a huge grin that could’ve lit up billboard signs.

 

Ever since then, Donna has done anything in her power to win that piece of land. A couple pockets full of money wouldn’t help her so she started to play cards, making sure every lesson learned from that one trip to Vegas had been in her favor. Donna started to win but her addiction to it was slowly losing. When the land was taken, her soul got taken with it.

 

Felicity’s eyes flickered to Oliver’s with a small smirk, “To hell with it,” wiping the flower crown to the grass as she grabbed the keys from Oliver’s hand.

 

“I love it when you talk dirty to me,” Oliver remarked, smiling softly. It made her hands pulse with Cabeswater. She silently nudge his shoulder in a teasing manner.

 

This is them, flower crowns, soft smiles, and humming forests. They wouldn’t change it any other way. She suddenly looked at the car hood in interest. Walking closer, she opened the hood and sighed with a soft laugh. The engine still wasn’t there. Of course, it wasn’t. She just thought maybe that after driving it, it would show?

 

A question popped in her mind. It seemed to be an idiotic question but after all this, it would be hard to answer what this situation is. She whipped her head towards Oliver’s, blue on blue, “Do you think it still breaks down?”

 


	3. {𝐒𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧} Calls

 

Professor Merlyn knew one thing about Starling. It was as frigid as a polar bear’s ass. It froze him quietly from his feet to the edges of his finger tips. At least when he visited the West Coast for summer vacation, he was able to watch the ghostly smoke come from the sidewalks, sitting on a porch with a ice tea in hand. Unfortunately, he will always prefer the tea in BLONDES AND BONDS BARISTA.

 

It was six P.M., the school day almost over, and only left him grading research papers in his lecture hall. Evening light poured through tall-paned windows on his right and his cup of pens and pencils on his left, She Brings Me Love playing on a dingy radio.

 

“Mr. Merlyn!” A man hoarsely cried out.

 

Merlyn didn’t immediately turn his head around, grading another paper with his whisp fingers. The man who called him was Whiteshore, a teacher with a very well scrubbed record for a billionaire. Despite that clean record, he still wore clean polished suits or white buttoned up shirts to fit the part. Tommy never truly knew him without one.

 

He was even a student of Mr. Whiteshore, back when he was a Raven Boy of Aglionby. Of course, being his student didn’t give him any acquaintance points. Tommy graded another paper with a small flick before turning over to him. No surprise, he’s wearing a white button up made of silk.

 

“I’m a very busy man, Whiteshore,” Tommy acknowledged, waving his around his desk as the wind blew and rattled his blind shades.

 

Whiteshore just frailed his hands around with crazed eyes. He seemed he hadn’t gotten much sleep from the dark crescents underneath his eyes.“I thought you weren't coming in today”

 

Tommy didn’t want to be in the classroom today. He was supposed to be in his bed, sick out of his mind, sipping on chicken noodle soup. What’s left of that day was the extra papers he couldn’t grade. Right after he knew his last class was over, he grabbed his briefcase and car keys and ran into the car to get a head start on those papers.

 

“Call it a change of heart.”

 

Whiteshore quickly adjusted his shirt and sauntered towards the desk, seamlessly playing with the dust particles in the air. His nose rose with a small grin as he leaned on on his desk, taking a paper from the pile with a look of familiarity.

 

“Smoak is an interesting student to have. I had her myself,” Whiteshore’s fingers twisted to the ceiling. “Such potential for a waitress.”

Tommy snatched the paper back in front of him. Whiteshore hid his surprise. He knew that Felicity Smoak was a very good student. As he said, he had her for this class. She knew every answer he asked. She asked questions he hadn’t even thought of.

 

It was only to his utter surprise that she was a waitress at BLONDES. He remembered he was talking to Donna, the owner of the business, when a flicker of gold hair caught his eye. He peered over her and watched Felicity pour a glass of ice tea. She laughed at something the customer said and turned around. It must’ve been to utter shock her teacher was there too. Her mouth opened briefly before masking it with a big smile, “More ice tea?”

 

Whiteshore knew exactly what he was implying. He thought that the world was cruel but necessary. He also thought that Felicity wouldn’t make it in the world because BLONDES AND BONDS is holding her down.

The only thing Tommy thought was Whiteshore didn’t irritate him unless he really needed the answer.

 

“I know you’re not here to discuss about my students. So, out with it.”

 

Conversations with students after class weren’t his strong suit. It wasn’t the quiet insults that he got before hiding their secrets with a grin, thinking that it would get them an easy A+ on some test. Conversations with other teachers are just brief. They would say hello and proceed to talk about some stories they heard from their students. One time, Mrs. Graham talked his ear off about the two students who was caught doing weed in the bathroom. He couldn’t side step out of it. He knew that.

 

Tommy just loved the idea of the others thinking that he can. Just as he loved the idea of walking, running, and leaping back into his house. _How did this become my life?_

 

“A very important day is coming up for me. St. Mark’s Day. Ever heard of it?”

 

No holidays with that name come up in his mind, “It seems familiar,” he tried.

 

Whiteshore hummed as he walked to the blind shades and looked through him, “It is a holiday. Just not what Americans typically celebrate.”

 

“You’re an American.” Merlyn tapped his pen on the stack of ungraded papers.

 

Whiteshore waved his hand with wide eyes, “I’ve been celebrating it since my first year as a Raven Boy.”

 

Tommy didn’t know there was even holidays for Raven Boys to celebrate. There were a few but it was the typical few like Thanksgiving and Christmas. At first, suddenly, guiltily, he thought the holiday was about coming from a wealthy family. Being a Raven Boy meant a lot of things. It meant you’re rich enough to attend and people’s eyes are already on you. He wasn’t sure of being a Raven Girl meant. A Raven Boy meant he had some remnant of his father.

When his father was alive, he would tell him a couple words with his perfect straight teeth, “We Merlyn's were always born to cause Starling  trouble.”

 

The Raven Boy charm could take the world by storm with his blue eyes and soft lips. Everyone’s eyes immediately caught in curiosity, trying to figure out his father’s name. Even his own son, who looked up to him with wide eyes and smile that blinded his father.

 

The radio changed to a faster pace song as he got out his flashback. Putting another graded paper on the pile, he just raised an eyebrow. “Don’t understand why you’re telling me this.”

 

His white shirt rumbled as he stretched away from the window. “Just thought that someone should know what I’m doing. A good friend of mine had celebrated this holiday and I wanted to do it for him.”

 

“Celebrated?”

 

“He went missing while we were in school together,” Whiteshore folded his hands in front of his torso as his head bent down. Tommy didn’t bother to say sorry. Whiteshore never seemed the type to eat up apologies.

 

The bell gave a silent cry, reverberating through his desk and the windows. Whiteshore jumped up and waved loudly, “Sorry to interrupt your  grading. We’ll talk more later!”

 

He genuinely hoped not. But he raised his pen in the air and gave a silent goodbye. Whiteshore smiled and slammed the door behind him. Sighing, he tried to get as much as his sickly body would let him. Finally, some peace and quiet. It should’ve been policy to know this about Aglionby. _It will_ **_never_ ** _be quiet._

 

He sighed again and graded another paper. It started to be a routine. Every two minutes, he gets a paper down into the graded pile. By twenty minutes, ten papers are done and ready to be handed to the student.

 

But nothing last forever. A loud buzz and ring came from his phone. He cursed a little too much then he should in a classroom and answered it with a soft click, “Hello?”

 

There was shuffling and a car slam before, “Tommy! How are you buddy?”

 

A smile threatened to escape him. Oliver Queen was a family friend. He didn’t go to Aglionby but their parents knew each other well.

“Oh, you know. Trying to do my job until you rudely interrupted.”

He already knew Oliver scrunched up his face, “I’m going to take that as, _‘Thank you, dearest, for saving me from pure torture.’_ ”

 

He shook his head with a grin, “Take it anyway you want,” He put his feet on the clear part of the desk, one of shoes tapping on the radio “How’s London?”

 

The last time they talked, Oliver discovered his interest in life. Actually, he always knew since they were teenagers. He wanted to figure out about the conspiracy of a Welsh King named Owain Glyndŵr. He said that London was calling his name. Only for him to say that it actually a professor calling him to London about the King. That was well over two years ago.

 

Oliver chuckled, “Actually that’s why I’m calling today.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I’m not in London. I haven’t been in London for two years.”

 

His mind went blank. The only thing he remembered according to the small check ins they’d had was that he was still in London with more information about Glendower, “Well, where are you?”

 

“I’m in Starling actually,” Oliver answered a question to a women before explaining fully, “I’ve been working with the professor for a good while. I still call him often. But once he gave me information about the ley line in Starling, I quickly packed my bags and flew back to America.”

 

“How long have you been back?”

 

Oliver sighed, “Two years.”

 

“You’ve been in my hometown this whole time!” Tommy yelled into the phone with complete shock.

 

“It’s amazing how your eyes won’t let you see the most obvious thing you’ve seen a thousand times before. I usually go to BLONDES AND BONDS. I’ve seen you there a couple times.”

 

“That’s discomforting to know that I’ve shared a building with you for the past two years and I still didn’t notice,” Tommy rubbed a hand over his face with unease.

 

“You’ll get over it. Besides that’s not what I want to talk about. I want to talk about the ley line.”

Tommy didn’t bother to formulate a response so Oliver continued, “I’m getting closer. Closer than I’ve ever been. And something big happened yesterday night. I need your help.”

 

There was a slow tap on his spine, steady and frigid, stopping at as it tried to go toward his neck. He’s felt that tapping before, “The ley line is here?”

“Crazy isn’t it?” Oliver breathe out in delight. He always gets happy about Glendower, “Are you willing to help me?”

 

“I’m not the one with the expertise. Shouldn’t you call the London professor about it?”

 

“That’s— not a bad idea. I’ll do it first thing in the morning. But I still want to talk to you in person about this. Say, BLONDES AND BONDS BARISTA at eight in the morning?” Oliver offered.

 

Merlyn’s feet fell as he grabbed a pen from the cup and a sticky note, “Alright then, Oliver.”

 

They said their goodbyes and ended the call. He looked at his sticky note of the time and place with one word in his tacky handwriting: **PREPARE!**

 

He turned off the radio and continued with his papers. Oliver Queen must be a mystery to all of his friends. He has an obsession with finding Glendower, like a job really. This hasn’t stopped since they were kids. Merlyn completely doubts that it would stop now. Especially since the ley line is very close to him. That tap on his spine came back.

 

He quickly ignored it and graded the papers in silence.

  


**Author's Note:**

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